Safety-anchor for submarine mines.



G. E. ELIA.

SAFETY-ANCHOR FOR SUBMARINE'NHNES.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.15, 1914.

1,153,774. I Patented Sept. 14, 1915 v IESSES AWAEWZ'OK- G/orami/ f/mmue/ f/fa re 4 v:

UNITED STATES PATENT orator.

GIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA, 01E PARIS, FRANCE. ASSIGNOR T0 VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, ENGLAND.

SAFETY-ANCHOR FOR SUBMARINE MINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 14, 1915.

Application filed September 15, 1914. Serial No. 861,833.

' To all ar/mmit may concern:

Be it known that I, GIOYAXNI EMANUELE ELIA, a subject of the King of ltaly, and residing at Hotel de Qrillon. Place de la Concorde, Paris, France, gentleman, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in and Relating to Safety-Anchors for Submarine Mines, of which the following is a complete specification.

This invention relates to safety anchors for submarine mines the object of the invention being to permit of the mine being manipulated without danger prior to its being submerged but insuring a rapid operative positioning when'struck by a moving ship.

A construction embodying the invention is shown, by way of example, in the accom panying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is.a view of the mine with its anchor in the relative position which these elements occupy before launching; Fig. 2 is a partial section showing the details of the mine connections; Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of Fig.2; Figs. 4: and 5 show details; Fig. 6 shows the mine in the anchored position.

The buoy rope (not shown) coming from the mine anchor a is connected in any suitable .manner to the socket badapted to slide on a cylindrical hub c 'rigidlyconnected to the mine, comprising the operating members for the percussion device. The sliding movement of the socket is limited by the pins dpf which there are three for instance (Figs. 1 and 3) screwed on the hub c and traversing the .socket 6 through elongated openings 6 (Fig. 1).

'The hub 0 supports, for instance, three stirru members f to which a cap 9 is articulate (Figs. 2 and 4) supporting the securing pointof a cable the other end of which is integral with a frame 7', preferably circular, provided at the upper part of the mine where it bears on the brackets each of which is formed with an opening m for the passage of the cable 2'. This frame 7' has a diameter greater than that of the body a of the mine so as to provide a projection on the said mine which will be struck first by a moving ship whatever the angle at which "the ship strikes the mine.

Each of the caps g is located in a notch formed in the socket b and is provided with a projection '0 covered by this socket when in the inoperative position. The socket is held upon each cap in the safety position illustrated'in Figs. 1 and 2, by a screw the resistance of which is calculated in such a manner as to resist the tractive efforts which may be produced during the manip-- ulation of the mine before and during its launching and so as to resist the buoyancy of the mine when the latter is moored.

The operation is as follows :Before launching the mine the elements occupy therelative positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the firing mechanism being maintained without possibility of movement of the percussion pin. by the socket b. \Vhen themine is launched it separates from its bearing (Fig. (5) but the locking members preserve the relative position shown in the drawing, the traction due to the buoyancy of the mine being supported entirely by the three screws 7). When a moving ship comes into contact with the mine, a shock is produced which is absorbed entirely by the circular frame y'projecting on the body of the mine so that under the effect of this shock the three screws 12 are cut through; Owing to the buoyancy of the mine the latter rises as much as is permitted by the pins d. In this position the frame j remains in position on the mine but the caps having no connec tion with the socket Z) of the mooring cable can effect a rotary movement with respect to this socket under the effect of the friction of the hull of the ship. The movement of rotation of the mine with respect to the anchoring cable causes, in the well known manner, the unscrewing of' one of the two screwthreaded parts which join the mine body to the socket or hub b. The mine body is then free to move upwardly, thus cocking and releasing thestriker which causes the explosion of the mine. This arrangement possesses the advantages of being completely insensible to currents and also to the explosions of neighboring mines, the currents and the waves produced by such explosions acting on all faces of the frame j so that there is no action on the caps g.

The frame j may be of any shape and may be rendered integral with the mine in any suitable manner, provided that it should be integral with the latter in the direction of rotation. Similarly the connection between this frame and the rupturing members may be effected in any other manner than that illustrated although the disposition described is the preferred construction owing to the facility of mounting provided by the disposition of the caps. g.

The invention is applicable to submarine mines of any type 'in order to increase the safety thereof.

hat I claim is:

l. A submarine mine provided with an anchor resting on the ground of the sea, an anchor cable connected to the mine body through screw-threaded parts of opposite pitch, a shock member projecting upon the mine over all angles of approach a vessel may assume, and safety devices with which the shock member is connected, the safety devices locking the screw-threaded parts and preventing any movement of rotation of the mine, relative to its anchor cable.

2. A submarine mine provided with an anchor resting on the ground of the sea, an anchor cable connected to the mine body through screw-threadedparts of opposite pitch, a frame mounted on the mine body and projecting thereupon over all angles of approach a vessel may assume, a safety socket forming part of the anchorage cable, articulated caps connected to said safety socket, and ropes or cables connecting said frame to said articulated caps.

3. A submarine Inin'e provided with an anchor resting on the ground of the sea, an anchor cable connected to the mine body through screw-threaded parts of opposite pitch, a frame mounted on'the mine body and projecting thereupon over all angles of approach a vessel may assume,'articulated caps ropes connecting said frame to said caps a socket forming part of the anchorage cable and guided through pins on a hub forming part of the striker, and rupturing screws connecting said articulated'caps with said socket. I

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Rome, thissecond day of September, 1914. v (JrIOVANNI EMANUELE ELIA. In the presence of two witnesses:

GIOVANNI 'VALnc'rnLL, CoRELLo FONTANI. 

